Ghormeh sabzi with dried herbs

Method

1. Soak the dried herbs in plenty of cold water (not warm) for at least 30 minutes, and 1 to 2 hours if you have the time, so they soften and come out of their dry state.
2. At least 6 hours before cooking, put the red beans in cold water to soak.
3. Pierce each dried lime a few times with a fork or make a few small cuts with a knife, then leave them in cold water for about 2 hours so they soften and take in the stew.
4. Peel and chop the onions (they do not need to be very fine, since they break down during the long cooking), heat the oil in a pot and add the onions.
5. Fry the onions until golden, then add the meat, cut into fairly large chunks, and fry it with the onions.
6. Add the turmeric and stir, letting the meat fry a little more.
7. Add the black pepper, stir again and fry until the meat loses its raw red colour and turns a light brown.
8. Drain the soaked beans and add them to the pot with the meat and onions; the meat and beans take about the same time to cook, so they can cook together.
9. Pour in water until the meat and beans are completely covered and a little more; bring to a boil. If you need to add water in the middle of cooking, use boiling water.
10. When it boils, lower the heat and simmer gently for about 2 hours so the meat and beans become half cooked.
11. Drain the soaked herbs in a sieve without pressing them (pressing removes their juices) and leave them about 10 minutes for the water to drip away.
12. Heat oil in a pan, add the herbs with the oil from the very start and fry over high heat, stirring only occasionally, until the herbs are very dark, almost black, but not burnt.
13. Add the fried herbs to the stew and stir.
14. Add the soaked dried limes, the salt and the dried lime powder to the stew.
15. Simmer on low heat for another 1 to 1.5 hours until the meat and beans are fully cooked, the flavours come together and the oil rises to the surface.